I am beyond honored to have been selected as a Lens Scholarship recipient and I am beyond thankful for the Lens Program. Philippians 2:3-4 states; "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interest but each of you to the interest of the others". This verse is something the Lens Program has demonstrated to me by aiding me in the furthering of my education, something you all as law enforcement officers demonstrate everyday by  serving and protecting the community, and something I hope to demonstrate one day in my future classroom by serving my students to the best of my abilities.

When The LENS foundation IOP became aware of my stage 4 breast cancer, they awarded me with a hardship donation, which greatly reduced my level of stress from worrying about financial matters related to costly treatments.

While mourning the tragic loss of my 11-year-old daughter in a car accident, I also experienced the comforting presence of God's love through the LENS Foundation, whose financial aid has been a profound blessing in my life.

I want to thank all of the people involved on the LENS advisory board and the committees that play a role in making LENS function as it does. Our police department team has been able to fund our awards banquet this year and we have been able to ensure that family members were able to attend educational institutions without the burden of covering the full cost. I know that the LENS Foundation has previously funded hardship requests for the police department and continues to fund hardship requests for city employees from other departments as well this year.  Police departments are only successful when they have partnerships with the community that they serve, and I strongly believe that we saw a supportive community at the LENS banquet. Thank you all for all that you do to support our law enforcement agency.

The Isle of Palms Fire & Rescue is privileged to serve a community that's both vibrant and supportive. The LENS Foundation Isle of Palms, through the Firefighter Founders program, has become a pivotal element in enhancing the lives of our firefighters. This program is proactive, adaptable, and effective, not only in supporting our safety personnel but also in advancing our community outreach initiatives. It addresses crucial needs, providing essential support where it's most needed—ranging from mental health initiatives through MUSC to scholarship opportunities and hardship support. The collaboration between our department and the LENS Foundation has been incredibly beneficial, profoundly impacting our firefighters and their families